IHOP Sinkhole Swallows At Least 14 Vehicles In Parking Lot

IHOP Sinkhole Swallows At Least 14 Vehicles In Parking Lot

Sometimes you’re devouring pancakes; sometimes a sinkhole is devouring your car.

An enormous sinkhole swallowed at least 14 vehicles in an International House of Pancakes parking lot in Meridian, Mississippi, Saturday night — just a week after the establishment opened for business, NBC News reported.

Officials were grateful there were no injuries.

“The sinkhole is huge,” Patrol Lt. Rita Jack with Meridian Police told NBC. “If you imagine a football field cut in half, it is every bit of 50 feet wide and about 100 – 125 feet wide. We are talking 14 to 15 vehicles. It is very scary. We are so fortunate that no injuries were sustained.”

Large sinkhole in Meridian has engulfed numerous cars at the newly built IHOP, no word on what caused it. pic.twitter.com/XSAeSA8Ihy

— Aaron Morrison (@Morrison_wx) November 8, 2015

Mysterious giant sinkhole in Mississippi swallows at least 15 vehicles (PHOTOS) https://t.co/tW30tz92ZR pic.twitter.com/1Cf9hCoQgH

— RT (@RT_com) November 8, 2015

Witnesses told local news station KSLA that they heard loud booming at around 7:15 p.m., just before the IHOP’s power went out and the ground opened up.

Officials don’t know what caused the sinkhole, but news station WTOK noted the town received 3 inches of rain over the weekend and nearly 10 inches over the past two weeks.

The vehicles fell about 30 feet into the ground. They could sink further, Jack explained, since right now they’re only sitting on mud. Recovery workers expect to start moving vehicles within a few days, NBC reported, although rain may slow down their efforts.

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